“Sicily has become the energy center of the Italian winemaking landscape. I’m not talking the area where there is the expectation for the greatest wines from Italy. Piedmont and Tuscany still clamor for their attention and deservedly so. But Sicily has become an emotional center.” Alfonso Cevola reports from Vinitaly.

“It’s actually an ideal test case for the power of persuasion in wine culture.” In Wine Spectator, Ben O’Donnell wonders if “sommeliers, writers and retailers [can] make Sherry happen.’”

In the Wall Street Journal Europe, Will Lyons offers some basic guidance on food-and-wine pairings. One of his favorites? “Roasted almonds with a chilled glass of Fino sherry.”

On Find. Eat. Drink., sommelier Ashely Santoro names her favorite rosés and offers some advice on shopping, eating, and drinking to those visiting New York City.

In the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague profiles Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist Sadat X and his producer, Will Tell. They’re better known in the wine community as the “True Wine Connoisseurs.”

In three parts (One; Two; Three), Lily-Elaine Hawk Wakawaka shares her recent lecture to the students of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Program. It’s worth reading.

“Miljenko Grgich’s life in wine is an object lesson in courageous dedication to a philosophy, supported by empirical evidence, that some wines need no tinkering, and that adhering to old paradigms can create greatness.” In the Press Democrat, Dan Berger celebrates Mike Grgich’s 90th birthday. Meanwhile, in the Napa Valley Register, John Intardonato pens a thoughtful profile of Grgich.